The blizzard that lasted for seven days and seven nights finally stopped. During these seven days, many of Li Xiang's camps were blown over. Now many people are reinforcing their tents. Even here, this is the situation, let alone the Xueyantuo side.
"How do people in the north live? They're much worse off than we are here, right? Will the heavy snow bury them?"
Su Dingfang is now like a cotton ball. Although the temperature in the tent is not low, the heat in his body will be almost dissipated as soon as he goes out and comes back. He would rather fight on the battlefield than stay in such an environment. It is really too cold.
"You're just being so hypocritical. We've lived here for so many years. Are they all buried? If they are, where did those who attacked us come from? I heard the temperature there is even lower than here."
Niu Jinda took a sip of wine and said that strong liquor was indispensable in such weather.
Normally, drinking Datang Tianniang in Chang'an City would cost a lot of money, but after joining the army, Li Xiang could give three taels of liquor to all the soldiers, which was already a lot. If it was more, these people would probably feel a little dizzy.
Although Su Dingfang was scolded, he nodded at the side. What Lao Niu said made sense. As long as there are people, it means that they can adapt to the local environment. It's just that people like us can't adapt.
"You two should stop chatting. When you have time, go down and inspect the situation. Have a good chat with the brothers and ask them if they need anything. They're definitely affected by being away from home and avoiding the snow. We'll do our best to meet their needs."
Li Xiang missed Chang'an City a little. Even he had such thoughts, let alone the soldiers outside. If they were properly channeled, this year would pass quickly, but if they were allowed to accumulate, their thoughts and emotions would greatly affect their combat effectiveness.
"My Lord, please don't give them this or that. They are not here to serve as soldiers, but to enjoy themselves. Even the local rich people in our hometown probably don't have such a life. From morning till night, all kinds of things are given to them. They are very happy here. And there are also those playing cards you invented. You can go to the camps now and see how they play with them."
When he heard that the benefits for the soldiers under him were to be increased, Niu Jinda immediately became unwilling. Our soldiers came here to fight, not to enjoy themselves. Looking at how fat they are, I don’t know how much meat they need to gain this winter.
Recently, His Highness invented a kind of playing card game that three people can play together. It seems to be called Landlord. Nowadays, these guys are having a lot of fun playing. Of course, gambling is prohibited in the military camp, so they also have various reward and punishment measures, such as sticking notes on the face, or asking people to go out on duty.
"I invented this thing to help them pass this boring time. You have to keep a close eye on it. If anyone gambles, they will be punished immediately. And the tents must be exchanged with each other. No one can stay in one tent for too long, as that will make them lazy."
When Li Xiang taught the people below how to play Landlord, he was a little worried in his heart. If these people used it for gambling, then Li Xiang would really be shooting himself in the foot. This was prohibited in the military camp.
Li Xiang knew very well the harm of gambling. Once someone got involved, not only would they not be able to provide living expenses for their families, they might even end up owing a lot of high-interest loan debts. Many people would die from this at that time.
When a soldier owes a lot of usury, he will be easily tempted by money. In the past, if someone asked him about things in the barracks, he probably wouldn't reveal it. But now he owes a lot of usury, and the person asking for information has money, so some things are hard to say. Therefore, usury is also a soldier's weakness.
Niu Jinda and Su Dingfang thought about it and it made sense. They stood up, adjusted their armor, and prepared to patrol the camp from the left and right.
"Report..."
Just as the two were about to leave, someone ran in with a spear in hand. This must be a military emergency, but the blizzard had just stopped, so where was the emergency? Could something have happened in Chang'an? I hadn't heard of anything happening in Chang'an, and as for Goguryeo, there was even less news.
"Your Highness, our patrols have spotted a large group of troops seven hundred miles to the north. They are all from Xueyantuo, and our men are currently following them. Their target seems to be here, but they don't appear to be attacking, as there are a large number of the elderly, weak, sick, and young in their ranks."
The soldier who came to report was panting and finished speaking in one breath. Li Xiang and the other three looked at each other and thought, it seems that this snowstorm has helped us a lot. If we want to come to fight, only young people will be enough. Even these old people and children are brought here, which means that the entire tribe must have migrated here.
"You stay here to guard the camp. Come with me and take a look. Also, have the people in the camp prepare hot meals."
Li Xiang asked Niu Jinda to stay, and then took Su Dingfang to a place seven hundred miles north to have a look. The blizzard had stopped now. If there was still a blizzard, Niu Jinda would never let Li Xiang leave the camp at this time.
"Are you going to treat them well?"
Su Dingfang felt a little uncomfortable. The Xueyantuo people killed so many of us, which can be said to be the biggest loss to the Tang Dynasty in recent times. Now they come to surrender and we still have to treat them well. What is going on?
"You've seen the conditions on the grasslands, especially the northern grasslands. The environment is truly harsh. Only two or three months a year are suitable for fighting, but we may not be able to complete all our tasks in those two or three months. If someone comes to surrender, we'd better treat them well. We believe that these people will be grateful and repay our kindness. Through them, we can spread our benevolence and righteousness, and be able to defeat the enemy without fighting. This is our ultimate goal."
Li Xiang has wanted to do this for a long time, but there has never been such an opportunity. Now that some people have come to surrender, this is a good medium. We can spread our benevolence and righteousness through them. Now that Xueyantuo can no longer survive, Li Xiang believes that more people will come to surrender, and our soldiers will have one less battle.
